Thriller excels by focusing on characters

At first blush, Before the Fall appears to be on track to be a typical action-packed thriller wrapped around the horrific crash of a private jet. But author Noah Hawley soon veers his highly entertaining novel into an insightful look at families, revenge and media intrusion by delving deeply into each character’s story.

Hawley invests the same care with a soupçon of dark humour into Before the Fall as he does on the TV series Fargo, of which he is executive producer, writer and showrunner. Hawley, an Emmy, Golden Globe and Peabody awardwinning television producer and screenwriter, shows how each character came to be on the plane, laying the foundation for the tragic crash of the corporate jet that plummeted into the Atlantic Ocean about 16 minutes after it left Martha’s Vineyard.

Only two people of the 11 onboard survive the crash: Scott Burroughs and four-yearold JJ Bateman, who was with his wealthy family — media titan father David, mother Maggie and older sister Rachel. Scott would be the last person to call himself a hero — “a recovered alcoholic, a struggling artist who’s never been able to keep a single lasting relationship.” Yet somehow he manages to rescue JJ in the dark and, disoriented and with a dislocated shoulder, swim the many miles to shore.

The “miracle” rescue first labels Scott a hero before a shock journalist brands him an opportunist by putting a negative spin on every aspect of Scott’s life. A federal investigator looks at terrorism, financial crimes and threats.

Hawley’s complete examination of each passenger, crew member, the investigators and surviving relatives works as intense character studies that complement his brisk storytelling. These aren’t statistics in a tragedy, but believable people. These include a sociopath driven by obsession and jealousy, an investigator fuelled by facts and an unethical journalist whose ambition destroys others.

The plane crash is only the beginning in the superb and cleverly constructed Before the Fall, which should become one of the summer’s hottest sellers.